Starlight and Bright Brown Eyes
by Laury the Latrator
Summary: "Less likely people than us have hooked up in the heat of an after party." / The excursion onto the grounds after their kiss, with much awkwardness, uncertainty, and heartfelt confessions. / Set in HBP. Sequel to VPA and BiBS, but can be read alone.


**Yes, I've put part of the Author's Note up here. I've never done that before. Cool**

**Anyway, this story is part of a series that I've entitled _Really Big Talks_, but it can be read alone. However, if you like this, you should check out my other H/G stories that come before it: _Voldemort Possessions Anonymous_ and _Breakdowns in Broom Sheds_. You might just enjoy them.**

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><p>The silence echoing through the deserted corridor was startling after the eruption of sound from the party they'd left in the common room. They met no one as they strode purposefully through the castle. While there were still hours until curfew, the sun could be seen making it's descent out one of the windows they passed. There was little resistance from his companion as he pulled her by the hand through the enormous doors and onto the grounds. It was only when they'd reached the side of the lake that Harry kissed her again.<p>

Snogging Ginny was even more magnificent the second time. Her arms wrapped immediately around his neck, her body pressing as insistently against him as her lips. It felt like the entire stock of Weasley Whiz-bangs was exploding behind his eyelids. His mind reeled, and he was thankful his hands had the sense enough to settle around her hips on their own. Harry, having only had the one disastrous experience with Cho and never something as drawn out as this, found oxygen to be an annoyingly pressing issue. He forced himself to break the kiss, though he hadn't the will to break the embrace, and took the few minutes steading his breathing to examine her.

Her flaming mane of hair was unruly, half from the wind and half from their snog he presumed. There was a flush rising over her smooth pearly skin and bringing her freckles out. Her normally thin lips were puffy and pink and so deliciously moist. It was her eyes, however, that enraptured him. In the golden light of the setting sun, the bright brown eyes he'd found constantly on his thoughts shone the color of liquid honey and danced like fire. She blazed like she had just minutes earlier in triumph and pride.

"Wow." Was the first thing he said, though it was barely a whisper and not really meant for her to hear. Ginny pursed her lips a little and stared roughly around his chin. Had he said something wrong?

"Yeah, that's about right." She replied softly but surely and without any sort of breathiness. Their bodies still touched in innumerable places that he was becoming hyper aware of. Embarrassed and not really sure what to do next (or how to segue into more snogging), Harry reluctantly dropped his hands from her waist. Nearly instantaneously she unwrapped her arms from his neck, though her hands lingered as they brushed over his shoulders. He shivered in the warm evening air.

"Do you want to sit?" He asked, awkwardly pointing over his shoulder. She thankfully didn't laugh at his bumbling way of relieving the tension and instead smiled.

"How about we lie down and watch the stars come out? I used to love that when I was a kid." Harry nodded quickly in relief and they both lay down next to each other. It was still early yet, and only a few brave stars were beginning to poke out through the navy blue. Moments passed as he started to become uncomfortable. Neither spoke, neither so much as looked at the other, and the grass was starting to tickle his ears. The lack of physical contact between them made Harry feel immensely cold. He'd just started to open his mouth when Ginny beat him to it.

"I'm the only one of my family to like astronomy." She told him conversationally, and not for the first time he marveled at how composed she could sound while his insides were churning unpleasantly. It was as if his guts were anxiously wringing themselves out. "My brothers never took to it much, found it boring and a waste of a good night's sleep. But even before first year I never slept well. Once I got bold enough I started to sneak out at night. Some nights I flew on my brother's brooms and I never failed to be amazed that no matter how high I dared to go the stars were always out of reach. They fascinated me. I suppose, if you want to get philosophical about it, it gave me something to aspire to." There was a lull in the conversation in which Harry searched desperately for something to say.

"I never really got astronomy. Although if you believe Trelawney, the planets always have something horrific to say about me." She chuckled under her breath at his feeble joke.

"I'm sure if they met you they'd change their tune." She replied easily. Another silence ensued before she raised her arm, pointing to the heavens. "There's Mars, he stands out prominently lately. Oh, and look! Venus is shining awfully bright tonight, isn't she? And…" She hesitated, her arm faltering in it's change of direction for just a second. "That's Sirius." The dull ache in his chest flared but Harry pushed it down. It was fitting that something carry his Godfather's name on for eternity. He deserved nothing less.

"So…" Ginny started, and it was the shyest he'd heard her in a long time. "I've been wondering. That kiss — or, er — _kisses_, were those merely the product of post-game euphoria and teenage hormones?" It was an innocently posed question, no accusation or reproach, simply idle curiosity. Despite that, his mouth had gone dry and it felt like he'd ingested the wrong end of a Puking Pastille. After a few minutes passed and he still hadn't answered, she continued, "It's alright if they were, less likely people than us have hooked up in the heat of an after party, I'm just worried how we'd play it off once we go back."

"No." He finally managed, and he heard the shift in the grass that signified her turning her head. Harry tried to ignore her gaze as he stared up at the night sky.

"No?" She prodded flatly. He licked his lips nervously only to find her taste still lingering there. It didn't help.

"I… I fancy you." He admitted carefully. He couldn't help noticing her eyes widen in his peripheral vision. "You were running at me, and you, well… I couldn't really help it."

"Hm," She hummed neutrally, and this time he had to see her expression, there was no avoiding it any longer. The corners of her mouth were turned up and her eyes were twinkling, though that could have been the stars. "It's funny, all I'd had in mind was a hug." Harry swallowed with immense difficulty. Was that her way of letting him down easy? Was she saying she only saw him as a friend, or worse, a brother? Had she really and truly moved on?

"Yeah, well…" He mumbled, shifting his gaze back to the sky, "Sorry."

"Don't be." She replied to his delighted surprise. "I much preferred your idea." A beat, and she rolled over, propping herself up on her elbow so she was leaning over him. "I fancy you too, Harry. Quite a lot really." Finding no verbal response adequate, he reached his hand up to her cheek, fingers tangling in her crimson hair, and gently guided her down.

This kiss started off tender enough, sweet, slow, and leisurely, both of them reveling in the knowledge that they could do this for however long they liked. Invariably though, in the way that kisses do, things grew considerably less languid and considerably more passionate. Ginny had flattened herself onto his chest, one of her legs slung over his, and every brush of their bodies sparked heat. Harry's fingers remained fiercely knotted within her silky tresses, while his other hand ran feverishly up and down her back, drawing her as close as physical possible. Mentally he cursed the Gryffindor Quidditch robes. What did they need all that padding for anyway? Of course, as Ginny's tongue gained slick entrance to his mouth, his brain ground to a halt.

This time she was the one to pull away, a move that was met with an involuntary groan of disapproval that Harry couldn't bother to be embarrassed by. His glasses were askew, and ever so sweetly Ginny straightened them. When he could see her properly, she grinned widely, her swollen lips parting over her glimmering white teeth for only a moment, before she swooped down again. She planted a quick peck to his cheek, then the other, then a very delicate one on the tip of his nose, and finally to his forehead. Here she took her time, letting the side of her mouth graze his scar ever so lightly, before withdrawing again. Her brown eyes were searching, wondering if she'd done something wrong, but Harry merely stared back at her in amazement. Her touch had felt like a soothing balm.

"Right," He croaked. "Merlin… wow." This time, instead of getting upset, Ginny smirked in amusement.

"Are you going to say that every time we snog?" The prospect of many more nights like this in the future had him fighting the urge to repeat himself.

"I might just have to. You're too good at that. You'll make me lose my head." He suddenly caught sight of Gryffindor tower looming in the distance. He sagged against the Earth. "That is if your brother doesn't beat you to it." Her brow furrowed in a very cute confused expression.

"What?"

"I've just realized that about everyone from Gryffindor, including Ron, could easily have watched what we've been doing out here." He explained.

"So?" She countered defiantly. "Ron can shove off for all I care."

"I care." He reminded her. "He's my best mate, and while he might tolerate _us_ in theory, I doubt he'd appreciate me groping you for all to see."

"He may be your mate, but I'm your girlfriend," a thrill went up his spine at the word, "and I will not have you worrying about my prat of a brother. Besides, he's always preferred me mooning after you rather than some other bloke. I'm sure he can cope." Nonetheless, the newfound vantage point convinced them not to resume snogging, no matter how little she claimed she cared what the others thought. Ginny instead tucked herself into his embrace, resting her head on his chest with an arm slung across his midriff and their legs still tangled together. It was a while before anyone spoke.

"This is probably a stupid question, and I may hate the answer, but when did you start liking me?" Ginny asked, maintaining that tone of slight curiosity.

"I've always liked you." He replied, knowingly remaining dense in a bid to buy time. She made a noise of frustration, a chink in her composure.

"Yeah, you liked me well enough, but when did you start seeing me as more than just Ron's little sister? When did I become — well — dating material?" Harry glanced down at her, but could only see the top of her head. He took her hand in his, marveling at its' softness, a remarkable thing for a Chaser.

"Gin," He started, using the nickname he hadn't realized until then that he'd given her, "You were never 'just' anything. You don't know how… amazing you are, you've always been. I can still see you on my first time at King's Cross, running alongside the train, tears streaming even as you laughed." He whispered the next part, almost shyly, "I'd never seen anyone feel so much all at once. That's when I really felt like I was in a whole other world." Her grip tightened reassuringly around his fingers. "When you were lying in the Chamber and I thought you were dead, I wasn't upset because you were _just_ Ron's sister. I dunno, even if we hadn't exactly bonded that year, I still knew you were important. And, really, I'd been more bewildered than creeped out by your shyness anyway. Once that sorta went away, I always enjoyed your company. Of course, I noticed when you… er…"

"Got pretty?" She supplied slyly.

"I was going to say 'filled out' but whatever. I remember being glad that Neville got to go to the Yule Ball with you, even if he did step on your toes."

"You saw that?" Ginny grinned fleetingly before sobering. "The Ball was right around when I gave up on you. I thought you were never going to ask me, and I'd really wanted to go, you know, when else would I have a night to feel like a girl-girl? Neville was so sweet about it too even if I wasn't his first choice, and I figured why not. When I heard Cho turned you down, and Ron suggested you take me, it nearly broke my fragile fangirl heart. I decided right then and there that the Universe was trying to get it through my thick skull that we were never meant to be." It was Harry's turn to silently reassure her through their clasped hands. He wished he could go back in time and retroactively stop being a prat. "I had a great time with Neville and I met Michael that night and everything just seemed to confirm my defeatist thoughts."

"I can't help but be glad." He finally responded. "If you hadn't moved on we wouldn't have become such good friends last year. I may not have even realized I liked you so much."

"Aha!" She exclaimed, startling him. Ginny shifted so she could look up at him. "I'd nearly forgotten, you never fully answered my question. When did you start liking me?" Harry sighed, deciding to give her the short answer.

"To be honest, Gin, I'm not exactly sure. I'm not sure when admiration and friendship turned into… well, you know. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it was sometime in fifth year." At her pronounced look of surprise, he added, "Though I hardly realized it until I caught you snogging Dean behind that tapestry. By the way, you're not allowed to do that again. Ever."

"All the way into last year?" She murmured incredulously, one of her fingers tracing shapes on his side. It was incredibly distracting and she could barely be paying attention to it. He realized with a jolt that she had an incredible power over him, one that could very easily destroy him. He cleared his throat, hoping to clear those thoughts as well.

"Sure." He told her, his head swirling with memories of all the signs he'd missed. "I remember this one time when you visited me in the library looking windswept and bearing an Easter basket. Oh, you were a vision." He told her seriously. She snorted.

"I remember that day. I was all muddy and in a foul mood, _and_ I got you kicked out of the library! How could you think I was attractive _then_?" Harry considered it thoroughly.

"You were _you_ personified." He said, a smile playing on his mouth. "It was your beautiful personality shining through, munching on my chocolate, griping and cursing, and most of all encouraging me in the daft scheme I had without bothering to ask why." The mental image of Ginny catching the Snitch from under Cho's nose popped up and he added, "Plus, there's something unbeatably sexy about how you fly." She swatted at him half-heartedly.

"At least you're easy to please."

"That I am." A comfortable silence followed as they both turned their eyes back to the night sky. Many stars shone easily now amid the blackness. They'd surely been out through dinner, yet Harry couldn't find himself in want of anything, not even food. As he watched the sparkling heavens, he swore Venus winked at them.

"We should probably head in soon." Ginny whispered, as if the softer she said it the less true it would be. He nodded though, and she moved to get off him. She helped him to his feet and together they ambled as slowly as possible towards the castle doors.

"Wait." Harry urged her right before they came to the stone stairs. Stepping closer, he cradled her face with both hands and kissed her deeply. When they parted he looked at her intently again. He was pleased to see her breathing shallowly, cheeks pink. Her bright brown eyes, dark in the night yet no less beguiling, were half lidded, her eyelashes fluttering slightly. She was gorgeous. She was his.

"I'm very glad you hadn't moved on too much." He confessed in a low voice. She reached her arm up and brushed his fringe from his forehead with the tips of her fingers.

"I'm very glad you noticed." She replied just as softly. Their lips met again, a mutual promise, a kiss of relief.

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><p><strong>Hooray! Harry and Ginny are together! Isn't that sweet?<strong>

**So, I know this scene has been done to death, but I figured while I was on a roll I might as well give my own take on it. There are several key points that don't often appear in other stories of this nature.**

**First, the astronomy bit. This was just my way of fleshing out her character. We never see which subjects she likes, and as I imagine that (especially after her encounter with Riddle) she wouldn't sleep well, and there is the matter of practicing flying (she wouldn't have much opportunity during the day, would she), it seemed fair to give her a fascination with the night sky. And I wanted to add a little planetary divination shout out (Mars bringer of war, and Venus goddess of love).**

**Second, the ****awkwardness. Harry's only kissed one girl in his life, and he wasn't a very active participant then anyway, so for all his bravado at the end of that chapter, I doubt he would just jump into an all night snogging session. Not to mention when you kiss in front of a crowd, there is an extra layer of doubt and insecurity afterwards and you're forced to consider how stupid you'll look if your impulsive move doesn't pan out.**

**Third, Harry never says I love you, and, following his lead, neither does Ginny. This is important to me. Harry grew up without any outward affection at all. He learnt to hide all his positive feelings from the Dursleys for fear they'd take it away. This is not an environment that would allow him to tell someone he loves them easily. Sure, he has a great capacity for love, and I'm positive at this point in their lives he does love her, but he wouldn't tell her (if he even realizes, he also isn't very emotionally self-aware). He would be cautious, and say the words only when he's certain that's what he's feeling and that she wouldn't reject him. I despise stories where he gives his affection so comfortably.**

**Fourth, Ginny. As for her reaction, I think she'd want to have everything worked out before choosing how to proceed. This is one thing about women guys don't really get; we need labels and we need to hear you say it. Ginny at this point is too worn out to hope. She kisses him back repeatedly because she making the most of the moment, but is bracing herself to go back to being just friends once the night is over. She is not lying when she says she gave up on him, but she is when she implies she'd moved on. She is a phenomenal actress, remember. She has a fiery temper but she can also close herself off (something most people don't consider), particularly when she's sad.**

**The next installment will probably be set in the days before Bill & Fleur's wedding and will deal with what I alluded to in this story: her power to break him.**

**Please send feedback on any of my stories, and I always like when people challenge my assumptions. You can also make suggestions as to what the next story should have.**

**Love always,**

**Laury.**

**UPDATE: What did I tell ya? The fourth story in this strange little series is now up, entitled _Rehearsal Luncheons and Well-Wishes_. Enjoy!**


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